Wire line guide and stabilizer



Aug. 28, 1951 c. T. LEWIS 2,565,693

Y WIRE LINE GUIDE AND STABILIZER Filed Oct. 15, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Imventor mar/E; 71 em (Ittomeg 1951 c. T. LEWIS 2,565,693

WIRE LINE GUIDE AND STABILIZER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 15, 1949 Snveutor (Ittomegs Patented Aug. 28, 1951 Charles '1. Lewis, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application October 15, 1949, Serial No. 121,617

Claims.

This invention relates to wire line. guides and. stabilizers for use on oil well drilling apparatus.

and the like which includes rigs having derricks and hoisting apparatussuch as a rotary drum and wire line ordinarily included in oil well equipment.

In conventional oil drilling equipment there is usually mounted on the oil derrick floor a drawworks which carries a rotary drum upon which a heavy wire line or cable is wound. The cable extends upwardlyover a crown block in the top of the derrick and is connected to a traveling block, which in turn is connected to the upper end of a drill pipe by a swivel to support the weight of the drill pipe in the well. The rotary drum is driven through the drawworks from a suitable source of power. There is also provided in the derrick a sand reel upon which a wire sand line is wound, the sand reel being a high speed hoist ordinarily usedfor bailing purposes. I

In withdrawing. drill pipe from the bore hole, the wire line or cable moves. over the crown block and is spooled on the rotary drum as the traveling blocksare pulled up and down the derrick bridge- Frequently this pulling equipment is operated at great speed which sets up vibrations and other undue stresses in the wire line and it is recognized that vibrations shorten the life of the line as they cause rapid reversals in stress and result in what is usually termed metal fatigue and failure. The speed of operation of the line also frequently causes said line which spools on the drum to whip, resulting in irregular or improper spooling on the drum, the improper spooling causing kinks, strand separation and also excessive line wear which is very costly in a drilling operation. Line guides or stabilizers of the roller or sleeve type have been used, but such devices do not compensate for wear, consequently frequent replacement of sleeve or roller is required for the device to have an kind of dampening effect on the line.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide an adjustable line guide for stabilizing, dampening vibration and preventing whip ping of the drilling or sand line in an oil well derrick and effecting proper spooling of the line on the drum; to provide a wire line guide with hinged housing sections or facilitating application and removal from the line; to provide plastic guide blocks slidable in the housing sections and adjustable to compensate for wear; to provide resilient. means for urging the blocks into engagement with the wire line; to provide a wire line guide having a plurality of spaced units carried in a frame whereby the over-all length of the guide may be varied tc-obtain the best dampening. effect on lines used on any height of derrick; toprovide a line guide in which a plurality of units are individually adjustable to compensate for wear or for different sized lines and may also be used for placing tension on the line. as it is wound on the drum to provide multifaced. guide blocks; in a wire line guide unit whereby reversing of the blocks will prolong the life of said blocks; to pro. vide a guide that does not remove lubricant from the wire line; and to provide a wire line guide that is economical to manufacture, formed of multiples of like units inv a strong, sturdy construction,v capable of operating .eificiently for properly guiding and dampening wire linesover long periodsof time.

present invention, 1' have provided improved de-- tails of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the wire line guide and stabilizer.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view illustrating one application of my invention in. connection with the hoisting. apparatus of an oil well derrick.

Fig- 3. is a partial perspective view showinga. unit of. the wire line guide. in opened condition. for application. to a wire line.

Fig- 4 is a disassembled perspective view of a unit of the wire lineguide.v

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional. view on the line 5.' -5, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6. is a transverse sectional view through thehousing latch pin showing the means for securing same to-the housing.

Referring more in. detail to the. drawings:

I designates a wire line guide engaging a wire: line. or cable 2. which is. wound on a rotary drum 3 mounted in a derrick 4.. Thewire line 2 extends upwardly over a crown block 5 at the top. of the derrick and is looped downwardly to support a traveling. block 6. substantially in the manner. as shown in Fig. 2.. The. guide I as shown on the drilling line 2 is illustrative only of one use for the. guide as it is equally adaptable for use onthe sand line or other hoisting apparatus of similar nature and may also be placed on the dead line sideof the drilling line to dampen shocks therein and provide longer life to the equipment used in connection. therewith.

The guide may be suitably mounted. in the derrick for use on the various. lines, however, when used on the drilling line. it. is preferred. that the guide be suspended in position by means. of a.

In. accomplishing these and other objects of the suitable cable I having its ends secured to the guide and intermediate portions operating over a plurality of pulleys 8, 9 and It, preferably arranged in a triangle, as illustrated in Fig. 2, to permit lateral movement of the guide, one of said pulleys preferably being connected with a spring or other tension means I l for adjusting the tension on the cable 7. The pulleys are secured to the derrick so that the guide I is at a substantial height above the drum 3 and the floor of the der-- rick and relatively inaccessible to the operators of the rig.

The guide I comprises one or more guide units 12, each of which consists of elongate complementary housings l3 and I4. Each of the housings has spaced vertical side walls [5 and 16, top and bottom walls I? and I8 and an end wall I9, forming a box-like structure having rectangular openings 28 at the adjacent ends. The edges of the side and top and bottom walls at the open ends of the respective housings are adapted to be engaged as shown in Fig. 5 when the housings are closed about a drilling line or cable, the top and bottom walls of said respective housings being provided with semicircular cutout portions 2| and 22 at the edges thereof whereby the cutout portions of the respective housings cooperate to form apertures through which the drilling line may operate.

Mounted on each of the side walls l5 and I6 of the housing [3 are spaced, aligned ears 23 and 24 having apertures 25 adapted to align with apertures 26 in ears 21 mounted on the side walls of the housing M, the ear 2! being arranged between the ears 23 and 24 when the edges of the housings are engaged. The axes of the apertures 25 and 26 are preferably in a plane defined by the adjacent edges of the housings and said apertures are adapted to slidably receive shanks 23 of latch bolts 29, the upper ends of which have laterally bent portions 30 forming handles for said bolts. With this arrangement the bolts hold the housings l3 and I4 together, and by withdrawing one of the bolts from the apertures in the ears 23, 24 and 2? the housings may be pivoted on the other latch bolt to hinge the housings and open same whereby the drilling line may be inserted or removed from between the housings. The bolts preferably have a transverse aperture 3i therein adapted to align with apertures 32 in the ears 23 whereby pins 33 may be inserted through said apertures 32, said apertures being arranged whereby the handles to lie against the housing side walls when said pins are in the apertures.

Guide blocks 34 are slidably mounted inside the housings I3 and 14 in the space defined by the side walls and top and bottom walls. The guide blocks are preferably formed of plastic material such as synthane, micarta or other material suitable for bearing on the wire line with substantially no wear of said line. The blocks are preferably square in transverse cross section and of suitable size to substantially engage the in terior surfaces of the side walls l5 and it of the housings. The length of the blocks is such that the ends 35 substantially engage the interior surfaces of the top and bottom walls I1 and [8 respectively. Grooves 35 are preferably arranged on each of the side faces 31 of the blocks 34, said groove extending for the full length of said blocks and formed on a radius substantially the same as the radius of the cable or line to be operated in said groove. The depth of the groove is approximately one-half of said radius whereby the side edges 38 of said groove are spaced as at 39 from the edges of the sides of the bloks 34. By arranging a groove in each of the faces of the blocks the block is reversible, and as the groove in one face becomes worn the block may be turned to utilize the groove in another face, thereby prolonging the usable life of the block. Also, the ends of the blocks are provided with champers 40 at the end edges of the grooves for facilitating movement of the line therethrough and reduce any wiping action thereon.

A backing plate 41 is arranged in each of the housings behind the guide blocks, said backing plate having a face 42 substantially the same width and length as the side faces of the blocks whereby said plate is slidable in the housing and will engage the adjacent face of the blocks. The center portion of the plate is preferably reinforced as at 43 on the back of said plate, and located substantially in the center thereof and perpendicularly of the face 42 of the plate is a bore 44 extending through the plate and reinforcement to slidably receive a threaded shank 45 of a screw 46. The plate has a counterbore 41 opening from the face 42 thereof, said counterbore being of suitable size to slidably mount the head 48 of the screw 46. The depth of the counterbore is substantially greater than the length of the head 48 to permit relative movement of the plate and screw without the head of said screw engaging the guide blocks.

The threaded shank 45 is screwed into a threaded bore 49 coaxial with a threaded shank 50 of an adjusting or tension screw 5! which is threaded into a bore 52 in the end wall 19 of the respective housings l3 and It. A look int 53 is threaded on the shank 45 of the screw 46 to lock the screw 46 relative to the screw 5|. A lock nut 54 is threaded on the shank 54 of the screw 5! and adapted to engage the respective end wall 19 to lock the screw 5| relative to the housing. The screws 5| are provided with heads 55 having bores 55 adapted to receive pins 5'! which extend through bores 58 in ears 59 of a handle 69 to pivotally mount the handle on the screws for facilitating turning of same.

Arranged in each of the housings l3 and I4 and preferably concentric with the screws 5! is a compression spring 6! having ends engaging the respective backing plate 4| and the end wall l9 whereby said spring is normally under compression and tends to urge the backing plate and guide block engaged thereby toward the open end 29 of the housing whereby the blocks resiliently engage the drilling line or cable operating in the grooves 35 of the blocks. Each of the housings l3 and IQ has openings 52 in the side walls for inspection or operation of the nuts 53 as desired. The housings are also provided with vertically spaced apertures 53 extending through the side walls l5 and I6 adjacent the end walls for mounting the housing of the respective guide units in a frame as later described.

A line guide and dampener l consists of one or more units i2 arrange-cl in alignment, whereby the drilling line 2 extends in a straight line in the groove 35 of the blocks in the respective units. It is preferable that the over-all length of the guides be varied according to the length of line or height of the derrick whereby said guide will suitably dampen the vibrations and stabilize the drilling line.

In order to mount the guide units l2 and support same in alignment, each of the housings of the units is carried in side frames E4 and 64, Said frames each consisting of strap members B5- and 55 adapted to engage the opposite side faces of the housings and extending longitudipally thereofi adjacent the end walls l9. The straps are provided with a plurality of spaced apertures 6?. said apertures preferably having a spacing of one-half the spacing of the apertures 63: in the housings f3 and I' l, whereby the position of the housings relative to the straps may be varied by moving said housings whereby the apertures 63 align. with. various pairs of apertures 61. Bolts 68 extend through aligned apertures 6? in the straps and 6-35 in the respective housings and nuts 65 threaded on the threaded shanks iii of said bolts to rigidly secure the straps to the housing. To further make a rigid structure, the belts 68' are also arranged to extend through apertures G? in the straps in spaced relation to the housings with spacers H sleeved on the shanks of the bolts between the straps to properly space same and form a more rigid structure intermediate the. guide units. Suitable bridles 12 are secured to the side frames and are adapted. to be secured to the ends of the cables 1 to mount the line guide in the derrick. In the illustintedv structure, the bridles are in the form of V-shaped members whereby the cable '5 may be attached to. the apex, E3- formed by the diverging. legs '14 and 5,. said: legs terminating in tubular members H adaptedto be sleeved over the shanks of bolts 68- for' securing the bridle to the side frames, said tubular members serving spacers between the straps 5%} and 55.

In assembling a device constructed as described the tension screws M are threaded into the bores 52 in the end walls l9 and the springs 6| sleevedovcr the shanks of the screws 51 in the respective housings. The shanks 45 of the screws 45 are inserted through the bores: M and the nuts 53 threaded on the shanks. 45'. The backing plates are then placed in the respective housings and i the shanks 45 threaded into the threaded bores $9 in the ends of the tension screws 51. to pro-- vide the proper spacing between the backing plates and the ends of the tension screwsv The lock nuts 53 are then threaded against the ends or. the tension screws to hold same in place. The" reversible guide blocks 34 are then placed in the housings andthe open ends of the housings t3 and It moved into engagement whereby the cars: 23, 2'4 and 2? are in alignment and the bolts 25; inserted in the apertures in said ears, the pins 33- being inserted in the apertures 3- and 32 to hold the bolts in the ears.

The housings l3 and M of the respective guideunits are arranged between the straps 65 and" Ed of the side frames 64' and 64" whereby the apei tures 63 in the housings align with selected apertures 67 in thestraps B5 and 6E. The bolts 68- are inserted through the apertures 5? and 53 and the nuts 59 applied to said bolts to securely mount the housings in the side frames. The spacing of the guide units and the numberof samemounted in the guide frames may be varied as desired. Additional bolts 88, together with spacers it, are applied to the side frames to properly space the straps 65 and 66 and form a rigid structure between the housings. Also the bridles 7-2 are arranged in the side frames and secured thereto by bolts 68 whereby the apex i3 is spaced laterally from the side frames.

The pulleys 8, 9 and H! are arranged in the derrick, the cable I placed on the pulleys, and the ends of said cable secured to the bridles l2" to support the line guide in the derrick. Suitable tension is applied to the cable 1 by the member II to aid in reducing vibration or movement of the guides, except laterally of the derrick as the line is spooled on the drum; The bolts 23' are removed from the apertures in the ears 23, 2'4 and 21 on one side of the respective line guide units, whereby the entire device may be hinged. on the other bolts 29, as illustrated in Fig. 3, to open the units and permit the drilling line tobe inserted therebetween into the grooves of the blocks 3d. The guide is then hinged on said. other bolts toalign the ears on the housing members and the bolts 29 placed in the apertures to latch the housings I3 and it of the respective units to-- gether. The pin 33 is then inserted through. the apertures and 32 in the bolts and ears to secure the bolts 29 in the ears with the handles 30 against the sides of the housings. The adjust-- ing screws 5! are turned to adjust the maximum movement of the backing plate toward the opezr ends of the housings is and It, said adjustment also limiting the pressure of the blocks 34 against the line 2 when the blocks ar in normal operating position, however, lateral force applied by the cables to the blocks will move the blocks and backing plates against the compression of the springs whereby the resilient mounting of the blocks will aid in. dampening the vibration of the cable. The blocks 34, being made of plastic, will form a bearing for the drilling line and any wear willbe on the blocks andnot on the strandsin the line, therefore as the grooves wear in the blocks the tensioning screws 5i may be turned. to adjust the position of said blocks whereby there is always the desired bearing pressure acting. upon the drilling line operating in the grooves of the blocks.

The adjacent faces of the blocks are spaced and before the grooves wear to such an extent that saidfaces will engage, the blocks are removedand turned to provide another groove in the blocks for engaging the d rilli-ng line, thereby providing long life for the blocks and maintaining a spacing between the faces whereby said blocks will not wipe the lubricant from the drilling line. This is an important feature as it is necessary that the drilling line have lubricant at all times to provide long life in opera-ting over the various drums and pulleys in the derricks'.

If it is desired to Wind the drilling line on the drum with a predetermined tension, the tension screws are turned to move the look not 53 into engagement with the rear face of the backing plate and apply positive force to the blocks holding same in engagement with the drilling line, however, it is preferred that when such operation is desired. that the plastic blocks 34' be removed and brass or other metal blocks be substituted whereby more pressure may be applied without excessive wear of the blocks...

The line guide constructed as described pro vides a device. which is easily applied to the line to guide same as it is spool'ed onto the drum and to dampen the vibrations in the line, thereb pre- 1 venting kinking, overlapping and the like, andthe device may be easily and quickly adjusted. for the desired pressure on. the line and may be opened for changing or moving the. blocks to present a. difierentgroove to the drilling line. The entire: structure issuch that additional. guide units may be placed in the side frame to increase the stabilizing and. dampening effect if desired, and the blocks of the respective units may be adjusted: by the tension screws toobtain the optimum in 75' dampening eflectwith a resilient engagementof the blocks with the drilling line thereby providin long wear to said line.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A wire line guide adapted for installation in a derrick or the like in alignment with a run of a line leading from a, drum and over a crown pulley therein comprising, a pair of elongate complementary housings with open adjacent ends longitudinally of the wire line which operates between said housings, ears on the respective housings at the open ends and having aligned apertures therein, hinge pins removably engaging in the apertures of the ears longitudinally of the respective housings for hingedly securing said housings together, said hinge pins being substantially parallel to the line, elongate guide blocks slidably mounted in the respective housings for movement only toward and away from the open ends and having coextensive longitudinal grooves facing said open ends for engaging a wire line operating between the open ends of said housings, said wire line being parallel with the sides of the housings, and means in the housings adjustably and resiliently urging the blocks toward the wire line.

2. A wire line guide for installation in a derrick or the like in alignment with a run of a line leading from a drum and over a crown pulley therein comprising, a plurality of guide units each including a pair of elongate complementary housings with open adjacent ends longitudinally of the wire line which operates between the housings, means removably engaging the sides of the respective housings at the open ends for securing i said housings together, elongate guide blocks slidably mounted in the respective housings for movement only toward and away from the open ends thereof, said guide blocks being reversible and having a plurality of longitudinally grooved faces adapted to engage the wire line operating between the open ends of said housings, said wire line being parallel with the sides of the housings, backing plates in the housings, means in the housings adjustably and resiliently urging the backing plates in engagement with the blocks and said blocks toward the wire line, side frames secured to each of the housings substantially parallel with the wire line for connecting said guide units and maintaining same in alignment, and means connected to the side frames for supporting the line guide in a derrick in alignment with the run of the wire line.

3. A Wire line guide for installation in a derrick or the like having lines leading from drums V and over a crown pulley therein comprising, a

pair of spaced side frames, spaced elongate complementary housings secured to the respective side frames and extending therefrom toward the wire line, each of the housings on one side frame being aligned with a housing on the other side frame, said housings having open ends adjacent to and longitudinally of the wire line which operates between the housings, elongate plastic guide blocks slidably mounted in the respective housings for movement only toward and away from the wire line and having coextensive longitudinal grooves therein adapted to engage the wire line, backing plates in the housings, means in the housings resiliently urging the backing plates in engagement with the blocks and said blocks into engagement with the wire line, adjusting screws threadably mounted in the housings and loosely connected to'the backing plates for limited movement of the backing plates toward and away from the wire line, means removably engaging the sides of the respective housings at the open ends thereof for securing said housings together, and means connected to the side frames for supporting the guide in the derrick in alignment with the run of the wire line.

4. A wire line guide for installation in a derrick or the like having lines leading from drums and over a crown pulley therein comprising, a pair of spaced side frames, bridles on the side frames adapted to be connected in a derrick for supporting said side frames in substantially parallel relation to a run of a wire line with said line midway between said frames, spaced housings se-- cured to the respective side frames and extending therefrom toward the wire line, each of the housings on one side frame bein aligned with a housing on the other side frame, said housings having open ends adjacent the wire line, plastic guide blocks slidably mounted in the respective housings and having grooves therein adapted to engage the wire line, backing plates in the housings, springs in the housings resiliently urging the backing plates in engagement with the blocks and said blocks into engagement with the wire line, adjusting screws threadably mounted in the housings, means loosely connecting the backing plates with the adjusting screws for limited movement of the backin plates relative to said screws, hinge pins removably engaging the sides of the respective housings at the open ends thereof for securing said housings together, and means for securing the hinge pin relative to the housings.

5. A wire line guide for installation in a derrick or the like having lines leading from drums and over a crown pulley therein comprising, a pair of spaced side frames, bridles on the side frames adapted to be connected in a derrick for supporting said side frames in substantially parallel relation to a run of a wire line with said line midway between said frames, housings spaced longitudinally of the wire line and secured to the respective side frames and extending therefrom toward the wire line, each of the housings on one side frame being aligned with a housing on the other side frame, said housings having open ends adjacent the wire line, guide blocks of plastic material slidably mounted in the respective housings, said guide blocks being reversible and having a plurality of grooved faces adapted to engage the wire line, backing plates in the housings, springs in the housings resiliently urging the backing plates in engagement with the blocks and said blocks into engagement with the wire line, adjusting screws threadably mounted in the housings, means loosely connecting the backing plates with the adjustin screws for limited movement of the backing plates relative to said screws, hinge pins removably engaging the sides of the respective housings at the open ends thereof for securing said housings together, said hinge pins in the spaced housings being coaxial and substantially parallel with the wire line, and means for securing the pins relative to the housings. V v

CHARLES T. LEWIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,849,924 Hall et al Mar. 15, 1932 2,190,880 Moss Feb. 20, 1940 

